Rugged ex-cop World War II veteran Burt Roth (a marvelously crusty Lee Van Cleef) and his equally tough Vietnam veteran bartender son Jim (a typically fine David Carradine) lock horns with ruthless Yakuza mobster Akira Tanaka (a deliciously wicked Mako) over who's got dibs on a priceless jade statue. Capably directed with real style and flair by the insanely prolific exploitation veteran Fred Olen Ray, with a brash, witty script by T.L. Lankford, a snappy pace, glossy cinematography by Paul Elliott, a gnarly rock soundtrack, an amusingly sarcastic sense of humor, a funky, syncopated score by Thomas Chase and Steve Rucker, a smidgen of gratuitous female nudity, a tight 86 minute running time, and several thrilling well-staged action scenes (a wild and destructive protracted car chase rates as the definite exciting highlight), this slick, lively and entertaining low-budget romp makes for very rewarding viewing. The first-rate cast of familiar trash flick faces helps matters a whole lot: Ross Hagen as shifty, double-crossing hoodlum Cory Thorton, Brent Huff as the likable, laid-back Tommy Roth, Lois Hamilton as Jim's sweet, concerned wife Sara, Michael Berryman as vicious assassin F.C., Dick Miller as sleazy small-time thief Steve, Laurene Landon as Steve's feisty partner Deborah Silverstein, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as cruel torturer Toshi, Bobbie Bresee as helpful informant Anna, Dawn Wildsmith as a scrappy thug, and Michelle Bauer as a stripper. A neat little flick.
Review of Armed Response
